Propeller-wheel.



PATENTED OUT. 10, 1905. H. J. PERKINS. PROPELLER WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 1904.

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No. 801,684. PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905. H. J. PERKINS.

PROPELLER WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 A TTORNE Y.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY J. PERKINS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO FREDERICK L. PERKINS AND ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES E. PERKINS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

PROPELLER-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed April 25, 1904. Serial No. 204,844.

To (LU whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY J. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Propeller-W'heels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful propeller-wheel, and more particularly to a propeller-wheel provided with blades which can be set at whatever angle for the purpose of reversing the motion of the boat to which said propeller-Wheel is attached.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The objects of the invention are, first, to furnish a propeller-wheel which can be readily manipulated in reversing the motion of the boat by changing the angle of the propellerwheel blades; second, to so combine the propeller-wheel blades with the hub and shaft of the propeller that no obstacle will be presented in driving the boat through the water by an enlarged hub; third, to change the angle of the blades secured to a stationary hub by means of suitable connections, hereinafter described. These objects I accomplish by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the propeller-wheel complete with a portion of the shaft and the mechanism for reversing or changing the angle of the blades. Fig. 2 shows an end view of one of the blades in full lines and illustrates in dotted lines the adjustment of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hub and sliding yoke placed upon the propeller-shaft. Fig. a shows a sectional view through the center of the blade-journals for the purpose of illustrating my preferred form of attaching the blades together. Fig. 5 shows a modified form of attaching the blades together. Fig. 6 shows still another modified form of attaching the blades together. Fig. 7 shows an elevation of the two blades attached together, the same being detached from the hub.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the example of my invention I have shown a propeller-wheel having two blades, which is the ordinary form used for naphthalaunches and small steam-launches and especially where the construction is such that the blades are adapted to be turned so as to present themselves in different angles to the water.

A represents one of the blades, and A the other. D represents the hub, which is attached rigidly to the shaft of the propeller, so as to be revolved therewith. Through this hub there is a large opening, as shown in Fig. 3. The propeller-blade A is provided with a journal Gr, which extends entirely through the hub and supports the blade securely therein. The propeller-blade A is provided with a journal which extends into the journal G of the hub A, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. In my preferred form, which is shown in Fig. l, the journal E of the blade A is provided with external screw-threads which engage with internal screw-threads on the journal of A, so that when the two blades are attached together they present the appearance shown in Fig. 7. These scre w-th reads have so slight a pitch that the two hubs will turn together readily without detaching one journal or shank from the other. The screw-thread on the journal E is shown by F in Fig. 4.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 5 I have shown a nut H for attaching together the journals of the blades A and A, and in Fig. 6 I have shown the screw-thread near the base of the hub instead of near its end. I is the propellershaft, rigidly connected to the hub D, and C is a movable yoke secured to the operating-sleeve J, said operating-sleeve having a longitudinal movement upon the propeller-shaft, whereby the yoke C is moved longitudinally. The yoke C is provided with two pins, (shown by B and B.) These pins are rigidly secured in the openings B of the yoke C. Each of the pins B engages with a depression or opening on the flange of the propeller-blade. This is shown in Figs. 5%, 5, and 6. and the position of one of the pins in the flange of the blade is shown in Fig. 2. shown in Fig. 7 by E E. By this construction the hub D has no longitudinal movement with reference to the shaft. The movement of the pins B B shifts the position or angle of the blades, and as the yoke C is drawn back from the front end of the shaft or from the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3 to the position shown in solid lines the pitch of the blades is changed so as to take the wa- Thesc openings are also ter on the opposite side and to draw backward on the boat instead of pushing forward on it.

The construction and arrangement of the device is such that the blades may be moved from a pitch best adapted to drive the boat forward to a pitch best adapted to draw the boat backward, and the blades may be checked at any intermediate point between these twothat is, they may be set, if necessary, to a position not to move the boat at all or to pull backward very lightly upon the boat, so as to check its movement slowly, or they may be set so as to drive the boat forward very slowly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to have invented, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a propeller-wheel, the combination of the blades A, A, having shanks at their inner terminals, one shank having a receptive construction to receive the other shank, a hub through which the receptive shank entirely passes to provide a long bearing, the shank of the remaining blade entering the firstnamed shank in the hub and extending into the latter a depth equal to the diameter of the hub, the two blades being adjustable with relation to each other within the hub, a propeller-shaft rigidly attached to the hub, and a slidable sleeve on the shaft and hub provided with means for engaging the blades to adjust the latter.

2. The combination with a propeller-shaft, a hub rigidly secured thereto, blades provided with shanks at their inner terminals, one of said shanks having a'receptive construction and passing entirely through the hub, the shank of the other blade being centrally journaled in the shank of the first-named blade and extending into the latter a depth equal to the diameter of the hub, and having a bearing solely within the shank of the first-named blade, each blade also having ashoulder which fits closely against the hub, a yoke slidably mounted on the hub and shank, oppositelyextending pins rigidly secured in the yoke and arranged to engage portions of the propellerblade's,the latter having recessed flanges to receive pins, and means connected to the yoke for imparting longitudinal movement to the latter with respect to the hub to simultaneously change the angle of the blades.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY J. PERKINS.

Witnesses EDWARD TAGGART, MARY S. TOOKER. 

